If you would like to become a member of SELARC, please print out and complete the application/renewal form and return it with your check to: P.O. Box 1324, Hammond LA 70404. Thanks!

==> MARS HF Net Participants Aid in Response to Fatal Maritime Disaster
On July 6, an evening Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) HF practice net in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 2 (New York and New Jersey) was interrupted by several "mayday" distress calls on the channel, which is shared with the maritime service. Net control station Ron Tomo, KE2UK, immediately halted training and attempted (without success) to establish radio communication with the station in distress. Tomo then directed two other net members who heard the distress call -- John Hoover, K2XU, and Wayne Gearing, K2WG -- to attempt to establish communication and offer assistance. ...

==> FCC to Re-Establish Technological Advisory Council, Solicits Membership Nominations
The FCC is seeking nominations for a chairperson and members of the Technological Advisory Council (TAC). In a July 21 Public Notice, the Commission announced that it intends to re-establish the TAC for 2 years by August 20, 2021. It's anticipated that the renewed panel could hold its first meeting in October.
The TAC provides technical advice to the FCC and makes recommendations on the issues and questions presented to it. The panel typically has several radio amateurs among its members. Greg Lapin, N9GL, has represented ARRL on the TAC.
Among other issues, FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will ask the TAC to start looking beyond 5G and conceptualize 6G. In addition, she'll ask the TAC to study advanced spectrum-sharing techniques, implementation of artificial intelligence, and machine learning to improve the utilization and administration of spectrum and other emerging technologies. ...

==> More Slow-Scan TV Transmissions from RS0ISS Scheduled
Friday and Saturday, August 6 - 7, Russian cosmonauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) will transmit slow-scan television (SSTV) images from the station on 145.800 MHz FM. They will use SSTV mode PD-120. The transmissions are part of the Moscow Aviation Institute SSTV experiment (MAI-75) and will be sent via RS0ISS, the ham station in the Russian Zvezda (Service) module using a Kenwood TM-D710 transceiver. ...

==> 8-Meter Experimental Station on the Air from the US
WL2XUP is an FCC Part 5 Experimental station operated by Lin Holcomb, NI4Y, in Georgia. It's licensed to operate with up to 400 W effective radiated power (ERP) between 40.660 MHz to 40.700 MHz.
John Desmond, EI7GL, reports that as of mid-July, WL2XUP was intermittently transmitting on Weak-Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) on 40.662 MHz (1500 Hz) for 2 minutes out of every 10, with an output power of 20 W ERP into an omnidirectional antenna. For FT8 check-ins and tests, an ERP of 100 W may be used. The band is affected by several propagation modes, including tropospheric ducting, sporadic E, transequatorial propagation (TEP), and F2 propagation. As Desmond notes, the 40 MHz band will open a lot earlier than 50 MHz and could be a useful resource for stations monitoring the transatlantic path. ...

==> Amateur Radio Activities to be a Part of Missouri's State Bicentennial Celebration
The Missouri First Capitol State Historic Site in St. Charles will host an amateur radio event on August 10, in association with this year's celebration of the Missouri State Bicentennial. The original capitol building on the west bank of the Missouri River served as the state's capitol from 1821 to 1826. The site is part of the St. Charles Historic District in the city's Riverfront neighborhood and is adjacent to Frontier Park, from which Lewis and Clark launched their Corps of Discovery Expedition in August 1803.
Members of the St. Charles Amateur Radio Club (SCARC) will use the special event call sign K0B at the site of the First Capitol on August 10. The First Capitol site also qualifies for the Parks on the Air program (POTA) with the identifier K-3349. Additional POTA-style activations from both the First Capitol site and from the adjacent Frontier Park are listed as "possible" on other dates, depending on weather and operator availability. ...

==> Amateur Radio Responds to Flooding in Western Europe
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator Greg Mossop, G0DUB, reported over the weekend that amateur radio volunteers have responded in the wake of widespread flooding in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The flooding, resulting from unprecedented heavy rainfall, has claimed more than 120 lives. Hundreds more remain unaccounted for.
The Dutch Amateur Radio Emergency Service (DARES) was on standby since July 14, as the first reports of flooding came in. An initial attempt to establish a point-to-point link from the provincial capital of Maastricht to the north of Limburg province was halted due to heavy traffic, as residents evacuated low-lying areas. DARES volunteers were in contact with members of the Belgian Emergency Amateur Radio Service (B-EARS) to coordinate their efforts. The Dutch Amateur Radio Emergency Service (DARES) was on standby since July 14, as the first reports of flooding came in. An initial attempt to establish a point-to-point link from the provincial capital of Maastricht to the north of Limburg province was halted due to heavy traffic, as residents evacuated low-lying areas. DARES volunteers were in contact with members of the Belgian Emergency Amateur Radio Service (B-EARS) to coordinate their efforts. ...

==> FCC Investigating Alleged Jamming on 40 Meters
Reports suggest that jamming stations have been deployed on the lower portion of 40 meters. The jamming appears to be coming from Cuba. The signals, spaced at regular intervals, exhibit a squishy, popping noise. The apparent jamming showed up after anti-government protesters took to the streets in Cuba, followed by a government crackdown. So far, there's no proven connection between the jamming and the protests, as evidence has been circumstantial. DX spots suggest that Cuban hams are on the air on SSB but do appear rare on 40 meters. A lot of Cuban spots point to FT8 activity. The jamming issue has drawn the attention of the FCC, which is looking into the matter, according to one tech publication. ...

==> Massachusetts Court Okays Amateur Radio Tower, Citing Board of Appeals' Error
A judge in the Massachusetts Land Court has ruled that the Zoning Board of Appeals in the City of Framingham "erred" in revoking a building permit for an 80-foot ham radio tower as an accessory use. The Building Commissioner in Framingham had granted ARRL member Mikhail "Misha" Filippov, KD1MF, a building permit for the tower, and Filippov had begun pouring concrete for the tower footings. Neighbors complained, however, and the Zoning Board of Appeals revoked the permit, citing the setback requirements of the city's wireless communications facilities (WCF) special permit bylaw. Land Court Judge Howard Speicher reversed the Zoning Board of Appeals' decision and ordered the town building commissioner to reinstate the permit.
"The City of Framingham has provided, for the benefit of amateur radio operators, exemptions from its zoning requirements from the construction of radio antenna towers for amateur radio operators," the court noted. This case was not settled on the basis of PRB-1 considerations, but strictly on which setback requirements should apply. PRB-1 requires local governments to reasonably accommodate amateur radio installations. ...

==> Most 2021 Field Day Participants Entered in Class D
In the second ARRL Field Day (FD) with rule waivers in place, some 4,815 entries were received at ARRL Headquarters by July 13 -- the majority in Class D (Home Stations). Last year saw more than 10,213 entries and 18,886 participants. Before the pandemic, in 2019, 3,113 entries were submitted, with 36,420 total participants.
"It appears that larger groups were more the norm in pre-pandemic times, as expected," ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, observed. "From the discussions I've been having with participants, even though some groups gathered in larger numbers this year, many participants chose either to gather in smaller groups or to operate solo from home as Class D or Class E stations. Although I don't think we'll see the number of entries that we did last year, we're close in terms of the number of participants." ...

==> Next QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo to Offer Nearly 100 Speakers, 18 Topic Tracks
The third QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo is a month away. The live event takes place over the August 14 - 15 weekend, and presentations will remain available on demand for 30 days. Sponsors predict that the event will be "a great experience" for those wanting to improve their knowledge of amateur radio as well as of cutting-edge ham radio technology and practical techniques. ARRL is a QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo partner.
"At the Expo, you can listen and engage with almost 100 internationally recognized ham radio luminaries on approximately 18 different topic areas -- there is something for everyone," the sponsors say. "Topics include antennas and transmission lines; build-a-thons; contesting/DX; controllers; digital voice mode; emergency communications; filters and tuned circuits; the future of amateur radio; ham history; HF digital modes; new licenses; power amplifiers; propagation; radio astronomy; software and services; space and satellites; test and measurement, and youth in amateur radio."
A complete list of speakers at the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo is posted on the event's website. ...

==> 40th Annual ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference Set
The 40th annual ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) will be held online September 17 - 18. Registered DCC attendees participating via Zoom will be able to interact with presenters and other attendees via a chat room and have the option to "raise a virtual hand" to ask questions. You may register to attend, but non-registered participants can view the livestream on YouTube at no cost, as well as chat and ask questions via the moderator monitoring the channel.
Registration is free for TAPR members and $30 for non-members. (Members receive a 100% discount at checkout.) Non-members who would like to join TAPR and receive the free DCC pass can add TAPR membership and DCC registration to their shopping carts. After checkout, they will receive the free DCC pass when their membership is processed. ...

==> Amateur Radio Volunteers Prepared for and Tracked Elsa
The weather event known as Elsa, a tropical storm that also achieved Category 1 hurricane status, prompted actions by ARRL, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), and the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) as the storm set its sights on Florida this week. The storm made landfall along the Gulf Coast of northern Florida on July 7, before weakening significantly.
As Tropical Storm Elsa moved up the East Coast, the Eastern New York (ENY) and New York-Long Island (NLI) Sections received a request from the American Red Cross (ARC) Greater New York Region to have ARES groups put on alert from July 9 through July 15. ...

==> Registrations Strong for 24th Annual International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend
Set for August 21 - 22, the 24th annual International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW) will be back, despite the disruption of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Each year, typically on the third weekend of August, participants set up portable stations at or near lighthouses and lightships around the world. Last year, prospects for the event were looking dim, but "regular supporters wanted the event to be a beacon of hope," the event's sponsor said. More than 360 registrations from 43 countries backed up their belief. As of July 8, this year's registration tally had already topped 200, with 25
participants signed up to activate lighthouses or lightships in the US. The ILLW typically attracts entries for some 500 lighthouses in more than 40 countries. The event has few rules and is not a typical contest-type event. The ILLW will begin at 0001 UTC on August 21 and continue through 2400 UTC on August 22. ...

==> Young Caribbean Nation Formalizing Amateur Radio Guidelines and Standards
With a population just north of 71,000, the Caribbean island of Dominica (J7) boasts a modest but active ham radio population. Given Dominica's vulnerability to hurricanes, the ham radio emphasis often focuses on emergency communications support. In 2017, after Hurricane Maria hit the tiny island, ham radio filled a huge telecommunications gap. Now the country's telecommunications regulator is asking hams to help formulate new amateur radio guidelines and standards. Dominica's National Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (NTRC) is collecting comments until July 12 from radio amateurs participating in a "consultation" (what the US FCC would call a "proceeding") that could lead to a formal and better-documented set of rules and regulations. ...